Dialectical thinking and its support in preschool education (DTS scale)¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Following Veraksa (2006), the article defines dialectical thinking as "a system of mental actions aimed at performing three types of tasks: understanding the process of development, solving contradictions, and creating new ideas and objects". The DTS scale assesses teacher support of this thinking via five interaction types: opposites in speech, objects containing contradiction, transformation processes, cyclical events, and changing the object environment. The article positions DTS as complementing ECERS-R, which pays no attention to processes containing contradictions.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Assessment by an expert observing throughout educational activities and everyday interactions, with scores from 1 to 7 points

Constraints¶

• An earlier study found high ECERS-R Language-Reasoning was associated with poorer dialectical thinking support, suggesting teachers may prioritise formal-logical thinking

Target Learners¶

• 5-7-year-old kindergarten children

Target Learning Objectives¶

• dialectical thinking: understanding development, solving contradictions, creating new ideas and objects

Claims¶

• Dts Associated With Emotional Scaffolding [+M]

Related Theories¶

• Dialectical thinking as the system for improving quality of thought

Examples¶

• Improve emotional scaffolding by organising space for emotion training with game methods and creating conditions for discussing opposites

Key Sources¶

• Veraksa N.E., Airapetyan Z.V., Krasheninnikov-Khait E.E. & Gavrilova M.N. (2021). Associations between emotional scaffolding, classroom quality and dialectical thinking support in kindergarten. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 16(5), 2091-2099. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v16i5.6224